Emergency light and charger system

ABSTRACT

A battery powered device that interfaces with the power source of a target device, such as a lamp, and detects when the primary power source has been removed. When the primary power source is available, the battery is charged and when the primary power source is not available, the battery drives an illumination device to provide emergency safety light to an area.

BACKGROUND

Rely-a-light was birthed out of the occurrence of the worst ice stormthat the south has seen in 25 years. During this time, the company hadno product, the company had no name, in fact, there was no company oremployees—all there was was just an idea. The father of one of thefounders, who suffered from mild Alzheimer's and COPD, lived with thefounders. During the storm, the founders of the company were plungedinto darkness on a cold February night around 9:30 pm. The founder'sfather got up to investigate the power outage, got tangled in his oxygentubing and fell. Thankfully he was ok, but it put thoughts in motion.How could such an incident be prevented from happening again? What if hehad been badly hurt and lived alone? How many people fumble around inthe dark during a power outage? Benjamin Franklin once said, “Necessityis the mother of invention.” He was right. Rely-a-light was born thatweek at the kitchen table. The founder began to work at finding asolution to this dilemma. One of the founders, having a background inelectrical contracting, came up with the electrical configuration andmaterials from junk in our garage. The other founder, with a backgroundis in Interior Design, worked on other aspects of the product andtogether, they formulated an idea, reduced it to practice and designed aproduct to address this need in the art.

Thus, there is the need in the art for an emergency back up lightingsystem that can automatically provide illumination to an area during apower outage.

There are numerous commercial and industrial emergency lighting systemsthat provide backup lighting during emergency situations, such as whenpower is lost due to a fire or otherwise. The purpose of such systems isto provide a sufficient level of ambient light to enable individuals tosafely move around the area and/or to find an exit. The systems that areavailable are typically focused on commercial applications andenvironments and thus, they are not easily purchased and installed by aconsumer in a home environment. Typically, the available lightingsystems are mounted to a wall or ceiling and are hardwired into theelectrical system for the building. The devices are not mobile and thus,once installed are generally permanent fixtures. These industriallightly systems are also not designed for the aesthetic of householduse. They tend to be bulk, boxy and gray. There is a need, therefore,for an emergency back up lighting system that is specifically designedfor household use, that can be easily moved from one location to thenext as desired, is easily installed and uninstalled and, is aestheticsuitable for household usage.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure presents embodiments, as well as features,aspects, elements, functions, etc., of a device or apparatus that can beconnected to, incorporated within, or used in conjunction with anotherdevice and to bring additional functionality to such device or,alternative functionality if the functionality of the device isdisrupted. For instance, the device could be, as non-limiting examples,an ordinary desk lamp, table lamp, floor lamp etc., (lamps) as well asother devices such as appliances, electronics, etc. In addition, thepresent disclosure presents a method of applying a conversion to suchdevices to bring additional functionality to such device, or alternativefunctionality if the functionality of the device is disrupted.

In general, an exemplary embodiment of the device or conversion is usedin connection with a lamp and operates to provide ambient light andcharging capabilities (such as a USB charger) for various other devices.In such an exemplary embodiment, when the primary source of power (i.e.,110-120 VAC, 210-220 VAC, or other power source such as anuninterruptable power supply or a DC voltage source that provide powerto items in a home or office) is available, the lamp operates as normaland the device, although optionally available for use, is not reallyrequired. However, during a power outage in which there is a loss of theprimary source of power, the device can be actuated by a user, orautomatically commence operation to provide ambient light and chargingcapabilities.

The various embodiments may be described as a battery powered lightingsystem that parasitically attaches to a target device, such as a lamp,appliance, etc. When primary power is removed from the target device,the battery powered lighting system is powered on to provide light. Whenthe primary power is present, the battery for the system can be chargedutilizing the power that drives the target device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating functional components of anembodiment of an SA.

FIG. 2A is an exemplary circuit for a power supply convertor.

FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary circuit thatcan be integrated into various embodiments of the SA to perform abattery charging function.

FIG. 2C is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary LED drivercircuit for the SA.

FIG. 2D is a schematic diagram of an exemplary LED switch circuitry thatcan be used to turn on the LED array.

FIG. 2E is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary circuit fordriving a device charger and for connecting the SA to the battery.

FIG. 2F is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary circuit for anLED array that could be used with various embodiments of the SA.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of an environment suitable forembodiments of the SA.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the components of an exemplaryembodiment of system or sub-system operating as a controller orprocessor 400 that could be used in various embodiments of SAcontrolling aspects of the various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure presents embodiments, as well as features,aspects, elements, functions, etc., of a device or apparatus that can beconnected to, incorporated within, or used in conjunction with anotherdevice and to bring additional functionality to such device, oralternative functionality if the functionality of the device isdisrupted.

Although the various embodiments presented herein are not necessarilysafety devices, they certainly may include or incorporate safetyfeatures or operate to provide safety to others and as such, eachembodiment will be collectively referred to herein as a safety adapteror as an SA. It should be appreciated that the terms SA is usedgenerically of all embodiments described regardless of the features orconfigurations, as well as other anticipated embodiments and as such,the use of the term SA is not to be construed as a limitation.

As will be appreciated by the ordinary person skilled in the art, thevarious embodiments of the SAs that are presented herein may operate inconjunction with a variety of devices, equipment, etc., and as such, theembodiments presented herein are presented by way of example and are notintended to be limiting. However, the various embodiments presentedhere, as well as the features, aspects, etc., incorporated into suchembodiments may be considered to be novel and non-obvious inventions inand of themselves.

Turning now to the drawings in which similar elements are identified bysimilar labels throughout the various views, embodiments of the SA, aswell as features, applications, etc., are presented in more detail.

FIG. 1 provides a general block structure for an exemplary embodiment ofan SA while

FIG. 2A-FIG. 2F present detailed schematic diagrams illustratingexemplary circuits that could be incorporated into various embodimentsof the SA for performing various functions. Before delving into thedetails, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the circuitscould be implemented on a single circuit board designed and configuredto fit into the base or stem of a lamp without interfering with thenormal operation of the lamp while powered by an AC power source. Insuch embodiments, the lamp or target device may actually be constructedor manufactured to include the SA. In other embodiments, the circuitrymay be incorporated into a casing or module that is mounted to a lamp,under a lamp, proximate to the lamp (such as being located along thelamp cord) or otherwise integrated and/or embedded with the lamp orother target device. The circuits can be constructed on a printedcircuit board (PCB), flexible circuit board or other assembly technique.In general, the circuits provide the function of receiving orinterfacing to a primary power source during one mode of operation(normal mode) and charging, if necessary a battery during such mode.Further, the circuits provide the function of sensing a loss of theprimary power source and, in such a mode (emergency mode), operate toprovide a safety and/or an alerting function. For instance, a safetyfunction may be to illuminate one or more low current or low powerillumination devices, such as light emitting diodes (LED). An alertingfunction may include sounding an alarm or buzzer, initiating thedelivery of a notification message such as by placing a call or sendingan electronic message, or otherwise. The term SA will also be usedthroughout this disclosure to refer to any of the various embodimentsregardless of the mounting and interface technique.

The control circuitry that defines the operation of the SA may beincluded on one board while the illumination and/or alerting devices,such as an LED array, may be mounted on a separate PCB board, flexiblestrip, etc. As a non-limiting example, the control circuit can bedesigned to fit into the base of a table lamp, or other illuminationdevice, without interfering with the normal operation of the table lampwhile powered by a primary power source (i.e., 110-120 VAC, 210-220, orother power source such as an uninterruptable power supply or a DCvoltage source that provide power to items in a home or office). The lowpower illumination devices can be constructed on a flexible circuit thatis attached to a circular or cylindrical ring, open ring, U-shapedplatform or any of a variety of other shapes, that can then be placedover the stem of the lamp, on top of the lamp shade, on top of the base,inside the lampshade, etc. In some embodiments, the illumination devicesare referred to as the LED array but, it will be appreciated that otherlow current consuming illumination devices may also be utilized such aselectroluminescence materials, etc. The LED array may thus beconstructed in any of a variety of manners such that it can beassociated with or joined to the target device, such as a lamp.

It should be appreciated that the various embodiments of the SA mayconstructed of electronic components and hardware only, may beconstructed using electronic components and customer integratedcircuits, may be constructed using software and microprocessors withinterfacing hardware and/or components, or in a variety of othersuitable manners.

In some embodiments, the LED array may be incorporated into a lampshade.In such embodiments, when the LED array is powered, one or more of theLEDs may be configured to illuminate the interior of the shade and thus,due to light reflection, may provide a wider spread of illumination.Further, one or more of the LEDs may be configured to illuminateexterior to the shade or be directed upwards or downwards. Further, acombination of two or more of these techniques as well as others mayalso be utilized in various embodiments.

The SA operates under battery power when the primary power source isremoved. In an exemplary embodiment, the battery may be a Lithium Ionbattery. The battery can be mounted to our associated with the targetdevice in a variety of manners, such as placing the battery in the baseof a lamp, attaching the battery to the power cord of the lamp,including the battery in a housing that fits in the base of the lamp, isattached to the power cord of the lamp or is plugged into an outlet andprovides a receptacle for the lamp cord to be plugged into the housing.In another embodiment, the SA may include a receptacle that can receivethe plug end of a lamp or other target device, and also include a lengthof cord that can be plugged into the wall. As such, the SA could operateas a power strip in addition to providing ambient light and alertsduring a power down condition. Thus, multiple lamps or target devicescould be plugged into a single SA or, the cord for the target device canbe retracted within the target device and plugged into the SA and, thecord from the SA would be used to plug into a wall or floor or otheroutlet.

In an exemplary embodiment, the battery is attached within the base of alamp and is held in place (in the base) by a battery box or mechanicalfeature that are incorporated into the PCB enclosure. The USB port(socket) can be affixed inside the base or PCB enclosure. The USB socketcan thus be accessible through an external opening in the lamp base.

In an exemplary embodiment, the SA can be configured for incorporationinto an ordinary table lamp. Such an embodiment may operate for thepurpose of providing ambient light and USB port charging capabilities tousers when the main source of power (such as 115 VAC, 220 VAC, etc.) isunavailable (i.e., during a power outage). For instance, the typicaltable lamp is normally used during low-light periods (such asnight-time, evening or early morning time periods) or in low light areas(such as hallways, interior rooms, closets, bathrooms, etc.). When ACpower is available, the lamp operates as normal. However, when AC poweris removed, the lamp is incapable of providing light to the local areathus leaving the local area in the dark. An embodiment of an SA workingin conjunction with a lamp, the SA will operate to provide illuminationin such a condition and as such, during the loss of AC power, the areaof concern can still be illuminated. Thus, the embodiments of an SAoperate to provide an emergency light capability during power outages.

Any of the embodiments of an SA may also include the capability ofsensing if the light bulb or illumination source in the lamp has burnedout or ceased to work. For instance, a current sensor could be used todetect that the illumination source is no longer drawing current(indicating that the illumination source has burned out) and thenfunction to illuminate the area by providing power to the low currentillumination devices. Alternatively, a light sensor could be used todetect that the light bulb has burned out.

In addition to providing lighting, the various embodiments of the SA mayalso provide a charging function for other devices. In an exemplaryembodiment, the charging function includes a common port or adaptor,such as a USB port. The USB port may support the charging of a cellulartelephone or a tablet type device during normal conditions when AC poweris available, as well as during power outages by sourcing the chargingcircuitry with battery power. Thus, it will be appreciated that thevarious embodiments of the SA can operate to provide continued light aswell as the ability to charge other devices during a power outage.

As a specific example, an embodiment of the SA may utilize an 8.1 volt,2.6 Ah Lithium Ion battery as the standby/emergency power source. Inanother embodiment, the SA may include a 6.4 volt 4.5 Ah sealed leadacid (SLA) battery. However, it will be appreciated that a variety ofrechargeable batteries can be utilized with the basic design simply byadjusting/changing a few of the components and adjusting control triggervoltage levels, etc. In the various embodiments, the battery operates tosupply power to the control circuitry as well as the LED array.

In the various embodiments, the battery may constantly be under a chargecycle during standby periods (when the lamp is powered by the primarypower source) so as to ensure that a fully charged battery is availablewhen the primary power source is not available. Some rechargeablebatteries that may be used in various embodiments of the SA may notrespond well to being over charged and actually experience a degradationin life and/or performance under such conditions. To address this issue,the SA may include circuitry or functionality (i.e., software, hardware,firmware, combinations of these as well as other) that operates toterminate the charging process when the battery charging voltage hasreached the top-end of the charge cycle.

Additionally, some rechargeable batteries do not respond well to beingexcessively discharged and actually experience a degradation in lifeand/or performance under such conditions. To address this issue, thevarious embodiments of the SA may include the ability to terminate theadditional discharge of current drain from the battery when the voltagelevel of the battery reaches (decays to) the end-point of the batterydischarge cycle.

Thus, the general operation in various embodiments of the SA is todetect the loss of the primary power source and in such a condition,enable the battery to provide an auxiliary function such as lighting anarray of LEDs. Once the primary power is restored, the SA willautomatically respond by removing battery power from the auxiliarydevices (i.e, LED array and/or device charger in some embodiments) andthen commence the battery charging cycle.

In some embodiments, the SA may include one or more switches to enableor disable certain functionality of the SA. For instance, a switch maybe used to enable or disable the charging function of the internalbattery. In addition, a switch may be utilized to turn the SA on or off.For instance, when such a switch is off, regardless of the presence orabsence of the primary power source, the SA would not operate to turn onthe LED array. Further, this latter switch in combination with theprevious switch may be used to prevent the SA from illuminating the LEDarray but, independently enable or disable the battery chargingfunction. Further, a switch may be used to force the SA to illuminatethe LED array regardless of the state of the primary power source. Aswitch may also be provided to enable or disable the device chargingcircuit, force the circuit off in either mode, force the function on ineither mode, etc.

This various embodiments of the SA may be utilized in many differentapplications. As mentioned above, the SA can be used in a table lamp toprovide emergency light and USB charging capability during a poweroutage. However, the SA can also be used in other devices such ascellular telephone docks, clock radios, MP3 docking stations, hanginglamps, appliances, and other similar devices in order to provide asource of light and device charging during a power outage.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating functional components of anembodiment of an SA. It should be appreciated that each of theillustrated components are not necessary in all embodiments of the SAand, the separation and functional boundaries are provide only forillustrative purposes in that certain functions can be combined orfurther divided in various embodiments. A primary power source 102provides the primary power to operate a target device, such as a lamp,appliance or other electronic device. The primary power source has beendefined as any of a variety of available AC or DC power sources. Theprimary power source 102 is fed into the power supply 104, whichconverts the received power source to the levels and the type of powernecessary to operate the SA. The power supply provides a voltage outputto a battery charger 106, and may also provide control or statussignals. For example, the status signal could be used to indicatewhether or not the primary voltage source 102 is available. As anotherexample, a control signal could be used to enable or disable the batterycharger 106. The status and/or control signal may be controlled by asensor switch based on the state of the primary power, a manual switchthat can be actuated by a user, or other criteria as well ascombinations thereof.

The battery charger 106 provides a charging current to battery 108 andmay monitor the status of the battery, such as its voltage level,temperature, current draw, etc.

The battery 108 provides power to the LED Switch 110 and the devicecharger 112. In addition, the LED Switch 110 and device charger 112 mayreceive power and/or control signals from the power supply 104. The LEDswitch 110 receives power from the power supply 104 to determine thepresence or absence of the primary power source. In addition oralternatively, the power supply 104 may provide a status and/or controlsignal to the LED switch 110 to indicate the state of the primary poweror to force the LED switch to change state. Similar to the batterycharger 106, the status and/or control signal may be controlled by asensor switch based on the state of the primary power, a manual switchthat can be actuated by a user, or other criteria as well ascombinations thereof. In addition, the LED switch can optionally bepowered by the primary power source and as such, by providing a switchon the SA, a user can select to operate the target device and/or the LEDarray at will when the primary power source 102 is available. Thus, theinterface between the power supply 104 and the LED Switch may a controlline, a power supply line or a combination of both.

The device charger 112, similar to the LED switch 110 can receive powerfrom the power supply 104 and/or the battery 108. Thus, the devicecharger 112 can likewise be available when the primary power source 102is available or when it is removed.

The LED switch 110 controls the LED driver 114 by providing a signal toindicate whether or not the LED array 116 should be turned on or off.For instance, in one embodiment, when the primary power source 102 isabsent, the LED switch 110 can detect this case and send a controlsignal to the LED Driver 114 to cause the battery power source 108 to beprovided to the LED array 116. Further, the LED switch may interface toa physical switch that can be actuated by a user. When the switch isthrown to an ON position, the LED switch can send a signal to the LEDdriver 114 to cause the LED array 116 to be illuminated. Thus, theswitch can be placed into the ON position when the primary power source102 is available, thus drive the LED array 116 from the primary powersource, or when the primary power source 102 is not available thusdriving the LED array 116 from the battery 108. In some embodiments, theuser switch may be overridden when the primary power source is removedand thus, automatically force the LED array 116 to be illuminated. Inother embodiments, a photovoltaic device, light sensor and/or motionsensor may be used to detect the amount of ambient light in the area todetermine whether or not to turn the LED array on or not. Similarly, atimer may be included to automatically turn the LED array 116 off aftera threshold period of time and then upon detection of motion or lightchanges, turn the LED array 116 back to an illuminated state.

In some embodiments, the operation of the device charger, such as a USBport, will not be changed between operating under primary power orsecondary power. However, it is anticipated that in some embodiments, aseparate switch can be utilized for the device charger 112 or, the sameLED switch 110 that disables or enables the provision of power to theLED array 104 may be sued to gate power to the device charger 112.

The battery 108 is subjected to a charge cycle during standby periods(when the lamp is being powered by the primary power source).Advantageously, this aspect of the SA allows the battery 108 in the SAto remain fully charged and fully ready to operate the SA if and whenthe primary power source is lost.

FIG. 2A-FIG. 2F are schematic diagrams illustrating exemplaryimplementations of the various components illustrated in FIG. 1. Variousfunctions that can be incorporated into various embodiments of the SAare further explored in view of the circuits presented in these figures.

AC Main Power Source Connections: FIG. 2A is an exemplary circuit for apower supply convertor. The primary power source used to operate thetarget device, such as a lamp, is also interfaced to the SA. Generally,in the lamp embodiments, this primary power source is connected to thelamp, such as through the base as a non-limiting example. In thelamp-based embodiment, the primary power source is generally connectedto the main light bulb or bulbs (such as various wattages ofincandescent bulbs or, as of late, a compact fluorescent light (CFL)bulb as non-limiting examples). As a specific example, the wiring forthe primary power can be routed through the base of the lamp, up throughthe stem and terminate at a lamp switch which is used to control theON-OFF states of the lamp.

The various embodiments of the SA include an interface into the primarypower source wiring for obtaining power to operate the SA and fordirecting the operation of the SA. In one embodiment, installation ofthe SA can include the operation of cutting the power cord to the lampand reconnecting the power cord through the SA. FIG. 2A illustrates apair of connectors J1 and J2 to facilitate this connection. Inoperation, the power cord is cut or severed in two the two ends arestripped (insulation is removed). The end of the cord that leads to theduplex outlet or are attached to the power supply circuitry 104 atterminals 1 and 2 of connector J1. Terminals 1 and 2 of J1 areelectrically coupled to the power supply circuitry 104 within the SA andultimately provide power to the entire SA.

Terminals 1 and 2 of J1 electrically coupled to pins 1 and 2 of J2. Theother end of the power cord is then connected to terminals 1 and 2 ofJ2. As such, the SA is effectively inserted in parallel with the lampand the severed power cord this thus fully reconnected through the SAsuch that primary power is still provided to the lamp to restore thelamp to its original functionality. It should be appreciated that insome embodiments, a power line clamp may be used to interface the SA tothe power cord. The power line clamp basically shrouds a power cable andincludes a sharp spike that penetrates the insulation as the device isclamped to the power cord. Such devices tap into a power cord withouthaving to sever the cord.

In another embodiment, the SA could be incorporated into a socketstructure. For instance, the SA could be embodied in a package thatincludes a male screw connector that can be inserted into the light bulbsocket of a lamp, and then include a female screw socket for receiving alight bulb. In such an embodiment, the SA can receive primary power fromthe socket and operate without disrupting the operation of the lamp.

A Varister RV1 is connected across terminals 1 and 2 of J2 and operatesto suppress any power surge or extreme voltage transient that may occuron the primary power voltage line, thus protecting the SA from an overvoltage or power surge condition. The primary power that is present atterminals 1 and 2 of J2 is also applied to the full-wave rectifierbridge consisting of diodes D2, D3, D4, and D5 through capacitors C1 orC2 (C1 and C2 provide the same functionality except that the physicalsize is different between them). Consequently, the SA can be configuredto accept one or the other of these capacitors, but not both at the sametime. In the illustrated embodiment of the SA, C2 has been selected asthe primary component to be placed with the SA.

Reduction of the AC Input Voltage:

Capacitor C1 is an “in series with the mains” capacitor. The capacitivereactance (Xc) limits the current flow through it. In this application,it reduces the 115 VAC input voltage to approximately 10.4 VAC at theinput of the full wave rectifier (D2, D3, D4 and D5) circuit when thebattery is being charged. If there is no current draw (say when chargingthe battery has virtually stopped), the voltage at the output of thebridge would continue to rise; thus the need for the two zener diodes(D6 and D7) to limit the voltage. R2 is used to “bleed” the charge offof C1.

Capacitor C1 is “in series with the mains”. The capacitive reactance(Xc) limits the current flow through it. In this application, it reducesthe primary voltage input value. For instance, when the primary inputvoltage is 115 VAC, capacity C1 operates to reduce the voltage toapproximately 10.3 VAC at the input to the full wave rectifier (D2, D3,D4, and D5) circuit when the battery is being charged. If there is nocurrent draw (such as when the charging of the battery has beenstopped), the voltage at the output of the bridge would tend to continueto rise; thus the need for the two zener diodes (D6 and D7) to limit orclamp the voltage. R2 is used to “bleed” the charge off of capacitor C2.Again, C1 may be used as an alternative capacitor to C2.

AC voltage to DC voltage conversion: The power supply circuit 104converts the primary power to a DC voltage for powering the remainder ofthe SA. Diodes D2, D3, D4, and D5 form a full-wave rectifier circuitwith approximately 10.3 VAC input and has an output of approximately 9.1VDC while there is a current draw, such as when the battery is beingcharged. This voltage rises until it is clamped by D6 and D7 atapproximately 13.9 VDC when the current demand has been reduced to themicro-amp region.

Zener diodes D6 and D7 are 6.8 VDC components that are connected inseries.

Together, they form a zener that limits DC voltages at pin 1 of IC1 toapproximately 13.9 VDC when the current demand has been reduced to themicro-amp region (say, when the battery is fully charged).

The DC voltage resulting from the full wave rectifier bridge (D2, D3,D4, and D5) contains significant ripple (not smooth), which is filteredout (reduces/eliminates the ripple from the DC output) by capacitor C3shown in FIG. 2C. However, this voltage varies with load (such ascharging rate of the battery) and therefore, needs to be regulated foruse in the remainder of the circuitry. Integrated circuit IC1 performsthis voltage regulation.

LED and USB ON upon loss of primary voltage: As previously mentioned,some embodiments of the SA sense the lost of the primary power sourceand then operate to turn on the LED array 116. IC1 is a voltageregulator, such as an LM317 as a non-limiting example. The voltageregulator IC1 receives the unregulated input voltage across the zenersD6 and D7 at pin 3 and provides an output voltage Vout sin the range of8.15 VDC which is available at the terminal labeled VREG. Resistors R5and R11 form a voltage divider and provides a control voltage to pin 1(ADJ) of IC1. This control voltage functions to adjust the outputvoltage VOUT at pin 2 of IC1 to a desired level. In should be noted thata voltage value is present at VREG only when the primary voltage ispresent at J1/J2. Upon loss of the primary power signal, the IC1 outputvoltage VREG will go to approximately 0.0 VDC. Ultimately, this changein voltage when the primary power source is absent (power failure) willbe detected by other parts of the circuit and the result will be (viahardware circuitry, software or both) to turn on the LED array 116 andDC power to the device charger 112.

FIG. 2C is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary LED drivercircuit for the SA. The LED driver circuit 114 includes an electronicswitching device IC3. The voltage output of IC1 (VREG) is connected tothe input gates (pins 2 and 4) of IC3 shown in FIG. 2C. IC3 is aP-Channel MOSFET device, such as a SUN4004, that operates as a switch toenable/disable the provision of the DC voltage (SW_BAT) available at thesource inputs of the MOSFET (S1 and S2/pins 1 and 3 respectively) to thedevice charger 112 and/or the LED array 116 (the DC voltage is createdupon presence/loss of the primary power source). Upon loss of theprimary power source, VREG goes to 0.0 VDC. The loss of VREG causes IC3to close the source to drain switch, which then supplies the DC power(SW_BAT), which is available on the other side of a switch J4 (see FIG.2E) from the battery 108 to the LED array 116 at J5, pin 1.

An additional voltage (other than the 8.15 VDC) is required to chargethe battery. Consequently, diode D8 is utilized to drop the 8.15 VDCoutput voltage of IC1 (VREG) to approximately 7.9 VDC, as well as tokeep the battery from discharging through the LM317 (IC1) and relatedcircuitry when the primary power source is not present.

FIG. 2D is a schematic diagram of an exemplary LED switch circuitry thatcan be used to turn on the LED array. The LED switch circuit 110includes a transistor Q1, which is an N-Channel MOSFET that acts as aswitch to control (Enable/Disable) the LED driver circuit 114. Thisswitch Q1 can be used in various embodiments of the SA to add hysteresisto the LED ON function that is generated upon loss of the primary powersource. It should be mentioned that there would need to be othercomponents that would have to be populated/removed to implement the“delayed” functionality but such functionality could prevent the LEDarray 116 from being turned on in the presence of a short power glitch.

Overcharge Protection: The longevity of rechargeable batteries isenhanced when the batteries are prevented from being overcharged. FIG.2B is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary circuit that can beintegrated into various embodiments of the SA to perform a batterycharging function. IC2 acts as a switch to control the starting,stopping and or pausing of the charging cycle. In various embodiments,IC2 may be the SUN4004 integrated circuit. A charging current will onlybe provided to the battery during periods in which the AC voltage ispresent. That is, the output voltage from IC1 is applied (via D8) to theinput of IC2. This will enable IC2 to perform the charging functionthrough D9.

Additionally, IC2 monitors the battery charging status by detecting thebattery voltage level through R10. IC2 charges the battery in threephases: conditioning, constant current and constant voltage. When thebattery voltage drops below a threshold value (V_(min)), (the level ofV_(min) will depend on the type of battery being used) IC2 will apply alow current to pre-charge the battery. The conditioning charge rate canbe adjusted with an external resistor (R3). After the battery ispre-charged to V_(min), IC2 applies a constant current to the battery.An external sense-resistor (R4) sets the level of constant current. Theconstant current phase continues until the battery reaches the chargeregulation voltage (V_(REG)) and then IC2 begins the constant voltagephase. Under this stage the charging current will gradually decrease.Charge stops when the current tapers to the charge terminationthreshold, I_(TERM). IC2 will continue monitoring the battery voltagelevel and entering a new cycle of charging if the battery's voltagelevel falls below V_(RECHG) (normally at V_(REG)-250 mV).

Deep Discharge Protection: The longevity of rechargeable batteries isalso enhanced when the batteries are prevented from being deeplydischarged. Turning again to FIG. 2D, components Q1 and Q2 can beutilized to limit the discharge cycle while powering the LED array 116in various embodiments. This protection is provided by essentiallydisconnecting the battery 108 from the LED array 116 when the batteryvoltage decays to a predetermined trigger point. The trigger point willbe determined based on the type of battery being used.

Resistors R12 and R17 form a voltage divider that monitors/reflects thebattery voltage. The voltage at the node between R12 and R17 will remainhigher than the Q1 forward bias voltage as the fully charged batteryvoltage decays. When the battery voltage decays to such a level that thevoltage at the node between R12 and R17 reaches or drops below the Q1forward bias voltage, the Q1 collector will change states from low tohigh. The collector of Q1 is connected to the gate of Q2.

The N-Channel MOSFET (Q2) will act as a switch having output (LED_EN)that is connected to the ENable input (pin 4) of IC4 in the LED driver114. As the battery voltage decays to the level of battery endpoint(such as 5.4 volts as an example), the state at LED_EN will change (tolow), which will control IC4 of the LED driver 114 and turn the LEDs OFFby removing the cathode buss of the LED array from ground (via IC4) bycausing the OUTput from IC4 to be open. This will prevent excessivedischarge of the battery 108.

IC4 is an LED Driver device that controls the LED current and drawnthrough the LED array and can sink approximately 120 mA from the LEDarray 116. The value of R15 determines the amount of current the IC4will sink. The formula for determining the sink current value isI_(sink)(ma)=[610(mv)/R_(set)(ohms)]×1000. IC4 acts as a switch tointerrupt the continuous LED ON condition (created upon the loss of ACinput voltage), once the battery has decayed (discharged) to the batteryendpoint. The output of Q2 is connected to Pin 4 of IC4. A batteryvoltage of less than a particular threshold, such as 5.4 VDC, will causethe output of Q2 (LED_EN) to go to approximately 0.0 VDC. IC4 will thenact like a switch, which will disconnect the cathode buss of the LEDarray from ground and therefore, turn off the LED array. Turning off theLED array 116 will eliminate almost all battery drain (except for thebattery self discharge, the current drain through the charger, and theUSB circuitry), which will greatly reduce the possibilities of a deepdischarge of the battery.

Battery Charging: In some embodiments, the battery is constantly beingcharged during periods when the AC voltage is present. Once the batteryhas been charged to its full level, battery charging is interrupted (asdescribed above) to prevent an overcharge condition. Additionally, oncethe battery has been depleted to its endpoint, the LED load is removedfrom the battery to prevent a deep discharge of the battery. The batterywill remain at or slightly below the endpoint for extended periods oftime and will only begin the charging process once the AC voltage inputhas been restored. The battery will support the LED array's powerrequirements for a period well in excess of 24 hours. Recharging thebattery will require a period well in excess of 24 hours to reach thefully charged state.

Battery connection: FIG. 2E is a schematic diagram illustrating anexemplary circuit for driving a device charger and for connecting the SAto the battery. A battery 108 may interface to the SA circuitry assemblyat J4. The positive terminal will connect to pin 1 while the negativeterminal will connect to pin 2 of J4. J4 can include switch in allow thebattery 108 to be switched in and out of the SA.

Device Charging Port: Looking again at FIG. 2E, during periods ofextended power failures, it is quite common for communications, alertand other electronic devices to experience a depletion of their owninternal batteries. As such, it is important to have a method ofcharging the batteries contained in these devices so as to maintain acommunications link with families and emergency services. Variousembodiments of the SA may incorporate a charging function, such as a USBport to support this function. However, it will be appreciated thatother port types may also be used in the various embodiments, along withnecessary adaptors to interface with the various charging interfacessuch as the LIGHTNING CONNECTOR by APPLE, standard USB, micro-USB, etc.In addition, the lamp may also incorporate a stand that is suitable fordocking of such electronic devices. Looking specifically at oneexemplary embodiments, a USB port may be include and operate to providethe 5.0 VDC for charging an electronic device such as a cellulartelephone and other similar devices during periods of normal operation(when AC voltage is present), as well as during periods when there is aloss of AC power and the SA is in operation running on the internalbattery 100.

Still looking at FIG. 2E, the device charger 112 circuitry is furtherdescribed. The battery 108 (and battery charging circuit 106 FIG. 2B) isconnected directly to IC5 of the charging circuitry 106 through diodeD10. The IC5 is a low drop-out voltage regulator with a fixed outputvoltage. The fixed output voltage could be any of a variety of requiredvoltages such as 5 VDC as a non-limiting example. The output voltage ofthe device charging circuitry is connected to a device interface, suchas the USB jack illustrated in FIG. 2E as a non-limiting example. In oneimplementation, a bulkhead mounted USB socket with associated wiringharness may be soldered OR affixed directly to the USB connector padslocated within the SA. This harness allows the USB socket to be mountedin a convenient location along the lamp base. However, the positive 5.0VDC is connected to pin 4 and the negative (ground) 5.0 VDC is connectedto pin 1 of the USB jack and no other USB functions are required to beavailable through the USB 5V jack. Thus, some embodiments may onlyprovide the battery charging function via the USB jack, while otherembodiments may implement other USB functionality.

LED lighting and connection: FIG. 2F is a schematic diagram illustratingan exemplary circuit for an LED array that could be used with variousembodiments of the SA. The number of LEDs that are included in thevarious embodiments of the SA can vary depending on the application,lamp size or other device, as well as other factors and, it will beappreciated that the number, orientation and mounting of the LEDs canvary and, disclosed techniques or embodiments are provided only by wayof example. For instance, the number of LEDs that are controlled may belimited by the amount of current that can be supplied to the LEDs orreceived from the LEDs, the desired life of a battery charge, the sizeand current supply of the battery, the shape and mounting constraints,etc. For example, on one embodiment, the LED current can approach 1.5amperes. An exemplary embodiment of the SA may include twenty-two (22)white light LEDs while another embodiment may include twelve (12) whitelight LEDs as illustrated in FIG. 2F. Both of these describedembodiments may be configured to include two LEDs in series with eithereleven (11) parallel strings for a total of twenty-two (22) LEDS or two(2) LEDs in series with six (6) parallel strings for a total of twelve(12) LEDs as illustrated in FIG. 2F. The illustrated LED assemblies isshown as including a two (2) conductor plug (P5) which connects Pin 1 tothe anode of LED1, LED3, LED5, LED7 LED9 and LED11, and Pin 2 to thecathode busses of the LED array, namely LED2, LED4, LED6, LED8, LED10and LED12. P5 is connected to the LED driver IC (IC3) by connecting plugP5 into connect J5 as a non-limiting example.

Such an embodiment of the control circuit may be constructed on aprinted circuit board (PCB) while the light emitting diodes (LED) ring(donut) is constructed on a flexible circuit that is attached to acircular ring. The sealed lead-acid battery is held into place (in thebase) via a battery box. The USB port is affixed inside the base to anexternal opening to allow for connecting a USB cord.

Table Lamp Embodiment

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of an environment suitable forembodiments of the SA.

A lamp 300, such as the illustrated table lamp, is built by assembling alamp body 308 onto a base 312. The body 308 is hollow and can be made ofopaque glass, colored glass, opaque plastic, perforated metal or otherperforated material as to allow for a light source to illuminate throughand beyond the lamp body. The lamp body 308 begins at the base 312 witha diameter sufficient to allow for a minimum 6″ clearance inside of thebase of the lamp body 308. Differing body designs can allow for varyinglamp body 308 heights. The base is sufficiently wide to support the lampand can be square, round, rectangular, or octagonal or another shapewhich will allow for approximately minimum width across a center pointon the base inside of the lamp body 308 as to allow room for the battery316 and charger/relay board 320.

Inside the body 308 and mounted on the base 312 there is a battery 316and a charger/relay 320. There is an access opening in the lamp body 308or base 312 for access to the battery and charger/relay board. There isa center rod 324 mounted on the base 312 which runs through the body308. At the top of the center rod 324 there is mounted a conventionalswitched lamp socket 328 with a standard rotary switch 332 which can beeither a single switched socket or a three way switched socket. Alsoattached to the top of the center rod 324 is a standard harp assembly336 on which to mount a lamp shade 340. A lamp shade 340 of many stylesand colors can be used. The socket 328 can hold a standard light bulb344, which can be a conventional AC lamp bulb, CFL or LED bulb. Thebattery 316 can be any of a variety of chargeable or disposablebatteries, and as a non-limiting example, a 6 volt sealed rechargeablebattery can be used. The battery 316 is electrically coupled with one ormore circuit boards 320 housing a charging board and a switching relay.There are at least two 6 volt halogen or led lamps 348 with low voltageleads 352 electronically connected to the charger/relay board 320. Aconventional two wire PJT lamp cord 356 of sufficient length to reachfrom the lamp socket 328 down through the lamp body 324 and base 312 andallow at least four feet of length to extend to a wall outlet from thebase 312 is also attached.

The center rod 324 connects to the base 312 and extends up from the base312 through the lamp body 308 to the lamp socket 328 as to assemble allthe aforementioned components into a single unit or a rodless body withthe lamp socket 328 affixed to the top of the lamp body 308.

The unit is assembled by starting with the base 312 and affixing thebattery 316 to the base 312 using a conventional mounting method as toprevent the battery 316 from moving as the lamp is moved. A DC switch360 may be installed at the base 312 so the battery 316 can be turnedoff. The charging/relay board 320 may be mounted opposite the battery316 or otherwise attached to the base 312. The lamp cord 356 is troughup through the base 312 to the point of the charging/relay board 320with approximately four feet extending outside the base 312 as to allowfor plugging the lamp into a wall outlet when the lamp is put intoservice. The lamp cord 356 will terminate at the point of thecharging/relay board 320 with the primary power source leads from therelay board 320 and a sufficient amount of lamp cord to extend upthrough the center rod assembly 324 where it will terminate at the lampsocket 328.

A junction can be made including the wires to the lamp cord 356, thewire to the socket 328 and the primary source volt leads to thecharger/relay board 320. The two or more low voltage lamps 348 will beattached to the center rod 324 approximately half-way up the height ofthe rod 324 inside the lamp body 308. The wires 352 from these lampswill extend down to and terminate on the charger/relay board 320. Thecenter rod 328 will be attached to the base 312 by an open bracket as toallow for the lamp cord 356 coming from the socket 328 to exit the rod324 at the base 312 to the junction area near the charger/relay board320. After this wiring is installed in the rod 324 the lamp body 308 canbe installed on the base 312 with the end of the center rod 324 going upthrough the top of the lamp body 308 through a hole of sufficient sizefor the rod 324 to fit closely in the hole. The rod 324 will extendabove the lamp body 308 approximately 1/2 inch, which will allow formounting the harp assembly 336 and lamp socket 328. The rod 324 isthreaded at the top. Installing a locknut onto the rod assembly 324 downto the top of the lamp body 308 will make the base 312 and lamp body 308one rigid assembly. The harp will now be installed over the threaded endof the rod 324. The lamp cord 356 will be terminated on the lamp socket328 and the socket 328 is now installed onto the end of the center rod324 on top of the base of the harp assembly. After installing a lampbulb 344 and lamp shade 340 the fixture can be used as a regular tablelamp.

The present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives andattain both the ends and the advantages mentioned, as well as otherbenefits inherent therein. While the present invention has beendepicted, described, and is defined by reference to particularembodiments of the invention, such reference does not imply a limitationto the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The depictedand described embodiments of the invention are exemplary only, and arenot exhaustive of the scope of the invention. Consequently, the presentinvention is intended to be limited only be the spirit and scope of theclaims, giving full cognizance to equivalents in all respects.

It will be appreciated that embodiments of the SA can likewise work withother target devices, such as a chandelier, a floor lamp, a night light,an overhead light, a wall outlet (illuminating when power goes out, thusmultiple units can be spread throughout the house), a light switch, anappliance, etc.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the components of an exemplaryembodiment of system or sub-system operating as a controller orprocessor 400 that could be used in various embodiments of SAcontrolling aspects of the various embodiments. It will be appreciatedthat not all of the components illustrated in FIG. 4 are required in allembodiments of the SA but, each of the components are presented anddescribed in conjunction with FIG. 4 to provide a complete and overallunderstanding of the components. The controller can include a generalcomputing platform 400 illustrated as including a processor/memorydevice 402/404 that may be integrated with each other or,communicatively connected over a bus or similar interface 406. Theprocessor 402 can be a variety of processor types includingmicroprocessors, micro-controllers, programmable arrays, custom IC'setc. and may also include single or multiple processors with or withoutaccelerators or the like. The memory element of 404 may include avariety of structures, including but not limited to RAM, ROM, magneticmedia, optical media, bubble memory, FLASH memory, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.The processor 402, or other components in the controller may alsoprovide components such as a real-time clock, analog to digitalconvertors, digital to analog convertors, etc. The processor 402 alsointerfaces to a variety of elements including a control interface 412, adisplay adapter 408, an audio adapter 410, and network/device interface414. The control interface 412 provides an interface to externalcontrols, such as sensors, actuators, drawing heads, nozzles,cartridges, pressure actuators, leading mechanism, drums, step motors, akeyboard, a mouse, a pin pad, an audio activated device, as well as avariety of the many other available input and output devices or, anothercomputer or processing device or the like. The display adapter 408 canbe used to drive a variety of alert elements 416, such as displaydevices including an LED display, LCD display, one or more LEDs, lowvoltage lamps or other display devices. The audio adapter 410 interfacesto and drives another alert element 418, such as a speaker or speakersystem, buzzer, bell, etc. The network/interface 414 may interface to anetwork 420 which may be any type of network including, but not limitedto the Internet, a global network, a wide area network, a local areanetwork, a wired network, a wireless network or any other network typeincluding hybrids. Through the network 420, or even directly, thecontroller 400 can interface to other devices or computing platformssuch as one or more servers 422 and/or third party systems 424. Abattery or power source provides power for the controller 400. Utilizinga controller 400, various functions of the SA can be provided such asdetecting the loss of primary power, controlling the charge of thebattery, turning on and off the LED array, etc.

Thus, a class of embodiments of the SA include an apparatus or a methodto modify a target device such that it contains some low poweredillumination devices that are powered by a battery and will beautomatically turned on upon the loss of a primary power source.Further, embodiments also include a device charger, such as a USB portintegrated into the target device and configured to charge variousdevices.

The various embodiments of the SA may be used in many differentapplications. As mentioned above it can be used in a table lamp toprovide emergency light and USB charging capability during a poweroutage. It can also be used in other devices such as cell phone docks,clock radios and like devices in order to provide for a source of lightand phone/pad charging during a power outage. The circuit can also beused in these type devices without the emergency LED light source whilestill providing the ability to charge phones/pads with or without ACpower present.

In the description and claims of the present application, each of theverbs, “comprise”, “include” and “have”, and conjugates thereof, areused to indicate that the object or objects of the verb are notnecessarily a complete listing of members, components, elements, orparts of the subject or subjects of the verb.

The present invention has been described using detailed descriptions ofembodiments thereof that are provided by way of example and are notintended to limit the scope of the invention. The described embodimentscomprise different features, not all of which are required in allembodiments of the invention. Some embodiments of the present inventionutilize only some of the features or possible combinations of thefeatures. Variations of embodiments of the present invention that aredescribed and embodiments of the present invention comprising differentcombinations of features noted in the described embodiments will occurto persons of the art.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the presentinvention is not limited by what has been particularly shown anddescribed herein above. Rather the scope of the invention is defined bythe claims that follow..

What is claimed is:
 1. An electrical apparatus that includes a batterypowered safety feature, the apparatus comprising: a primary devicecoupled to an AC voltage source; a battery coupled to a first side of aswitch; one or more ancillary devices coupled to a second side of theswitch; an AC to DC power supply coupled to the AC voltage source andconfigured to provide a DC voltage output; the switch configured todetect the presence of the AC voltage from the AC voltage source and,when the AC voltage is not present, coupling the battery to the one ormore ancillary devices; and the switch configured to detect the presenceof the AC voltage and, when the AC voltage is present, decoupling thebattery from the one or more ancillary devices and coupling the batteryto a charging output of the power supply.
 2. The electrical apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the power supply comprises a battery charger thatprovides an output voltage to the charging output and is configured toprevent over charging of the battery and to prevent over discharging ofthe battery.
 3. The electrical apparatus of claim 1, wherein at leastone of the one or more ancillary devices is a USB charging port.
 4. Theelectrical apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or moreancillary devices is a low power illumination device.
 5. The electricalapparatus of claim 1, wherein the AC to DC power supply and the switchis an assembly that is attached in series to the AC supply of theelectrical apparatus.
 6. The electrical apparatus of claim 5, whereinthe assembly attaches to the power cord of the target device byreceiving a severed end of a first portion of a power cord distal from aplug into a first connector and receiving a severed end of a secondportion of a power cord distal from the electrical apparatus into asecond connector whereby the severed cord is rejoined through theassembly.
 7. The electrical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the assemblyincludes a light detector configured to detect low lighting levels andthe switch interfaces to the light detector and in response to thedetection of a low lighting condition, the switch is configured tocouple the battery to at least one of the one or more ancillary devices.8. The electrical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the switch is furtherconfigured to decouple the DC voltage output from the one or moreancillary devices when a voltage level of the battery drops below athreshold value.
 9. The electrical apparatus of claim 1, wherein theassembly includes a current sensor coupled to the primary device andconfigured to detect a decrease in current levels and the switchinterfaces to the current detector and in response to the detection of adecreased current condition, the switch is configured to couple thebattery to at least one of the one or more ancillary devices.
 10. Anassembly that is coupled to an electrical apparatus, the assemblycomprising: a power supply that is communicatively coupled to a primarypower source, wherein the primary power source is connected to a primarydevice, and the power supply is configured to convert a signal from theprimary power source to a DC voltage level; a battery; a battery chargerelectrically coupled to the battery and configured to charge the batterywhen the primary power source is available; one or more ancillarydevices; and a switch electrically coupled to the battery, the one ormore ancillary devices and the power supply, the switch being configuredto detect a loss of the primary power source at the power supply and inresponse to such detection, couple the battery to the one or moreancillary devices.
 11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the powersupply taps into the power cord of the primary device.
 12. The assemblyof claim 11, wherein the primary device is a light fixture.
 13. Theassembly of claim 10, wherein the battery charger monitors the charge onthe battery and terminates charging when the battery has reached athreshold charge level.
 14. The assembly of claim 10, further comprisinga voltage level detector and the switch is further configured todecouple the battery from at least one of the one or more ancillarydevices if the voltage level of the battery drops below a thresholdvalue.
 15. The assembly of claim 10, wherein at least one of the one ormore ancillary devices is a device charger for charging an externaldevice.
 16. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the device charger isdriven by the power supply when the primary power source is availableand by the battery when the primary power source is not available. 17.The assembly of claim 16, wherein the device charger conforms to the USBinterface.
 18. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the assembly isintegrated into the base of a table lamp.
 19. The assembly of claim 10,wherein the assembly is integrated into a lamp shade.
 20. The assemblyof claim 10, wherein the assembly is integrated into a screw in socketthat can be inserted into a light bulb socket and that also can receivea light bulb into its socket.